Rotary brush



Aug. s, 195o N, N. @KUN 2,517,915

ROTARY BRUSH Filed May 1, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Mul nlimuwmm f INVENTORNATHANIEI. N. OKUN BY graaf 9L 824 z- ATTORNEY A Aug- 8 1950 N. N. oKUN2,517,915

ROTARY BRUSH Filed May l, 1947 2 Sheets-Shee 2 FIG.7 FIGB INVENTORNATHANIEL N. OKUN ATTORNEY Patented ug. 8, 1.950

Nathaniel N. okun, Far Rockaway, N. Y., assigner to Atlas FloorSurfacing Machinery Corp., New York, N. Y., ahcorporation of New YorkApplication May 1, y1947, serial No. 745,124 l l v 17 claims.

This invention relates-to a rotary brush such as is. used in floor--surfacing apparatus and the like and relates particularly to a brushconstruction particularly adaptedto permit the usc-of cleaning solutionstherewith. y

`Rotary brushes which/When employed with. suitable driving, apparatus,serve efficiently to brush and cleantvarious .surfaces such as floors,walls, carpetsand the like are well known. In any of these brushes, inorder to improve the cleaning action, various cleaning solutions suchAas soap solutions are employed. However, many drawbacks in theemployment of such solutions have, in the past materially limited theirscope: of use. `'Among these drawbacks may be mentioned the diiiicultyoffregulating the proper degree of flow of the solution. If. that flowbetoo great, the surface being cleaned .,is. flooded, which situation..is particularly undesirable yvvhen it'isa rug which is being cleaned,since anexcess of cleaning solution would causetherrug-to` stain inamanner which is either difcult or impossible to remove..`v

As a corollary ,to the above, brushes in the past have been soconstructed that, even though the ow be properly regulated-,duringrotation jofthe brush, vonce rotationy of the brush is stopped theliquid which has already passed the flow vcontrol valvewill flood thesurface being cleaned no matter what the operator may do. With suchbrushes it has ,been necessary tocompletely `shut oi the flow ofcleaning uid some time before rotation of thebrush is stopped. This modeof operation isnot only troublesome but is also dependent upon thememory of lthe operator, and should the operator momentarily forget, ailood results almost 35,.

immediately. Despite intensive indoctrination it has in practice provedto bealmostimpossibleto eliminate this diiiiculty with existing typebrushes since unexpected interruptions, such as the ring-y ing Iof atelephone or the necessity of stopping 4Q,

tering the surface to be cleaned and other adja- 50;

cent surfaces in Yindiscriminate manner` or being guided only to theperipheral brushing elements.v Since `the inner 4brushing.elements thusreceive little orno Ycleaning fluid directly, their cleaningeffectiveness is materially retluce91,.l lrlostljotthegli,nermostbrushing elements and then, by centrf-.

cleaning being accomplished by (c1. 15-1so) brushing elements alone.

It is recognized that, particularly when. soapy cleaning fluids areemployed, it is desirable that these solutions be churned to a foamprior to reaching the brushing elements.- In the'prior art this churninghas been accomplished only with the attendant' disadvantagesofconsiderable splashing of the liquid being churned. This has resultedlargely from the fact that the churning takes place on a revolving brushWhile the feeding must necessarily take place from a stationary feedduct.

It is the prime object of the present invention :to devise a brushconstruction which will ensure that all of the brushing elements fromkthe innermost to the outermost receive a proper amount of cleaningfluid.

It is another'object of the present invention to devise a rotary brushso constructed `that splashing is eliminated and flooding of the surfacebeing cleaned when rotation of` the lbrush is stopped is prevented.

It is yet another object of the `present invention to devise a brushconstruction which will churn the cleaning fluid into foam Without anydanger of splashing, that churning'being accomplished in a closedchamber.

Another object .of the present invention is to devise a rotary brushconstruction so related to a stationary feed nozzle as to receivecleaning iiuid therefrom in a smooth and convenient manner Without anysplashing.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a rotarybrush of the type above described which is exceedingly simple ofconstruction and easy of manufacture, which may be cast in a minimum ofsections and easily assembled, and which achieves the above resultswithout any moving parts.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide such abrush construction which, by a combination of guiding fins, vanes andapertures and the utilization of centrifugal force developed by therotation of the brush, so controls the motion of the cleaning iiuid fromfeeding nozzle to brushing elements as to ensure the attainment of theabove-mentioned objects.

It is yet another object of the present invention to devise a brush ofthe type described having an enclosed cleaning fluid receiving andchurning chamber in communication via a devi-Y ous path With theinnermost brushing elements, the churned cleaning fluid passing iirst tothe inthe peripheral lugal action, being impelled to the outer brushingelements so that all of said brushing elements are evenly andefficiently supplied with cleaning uid in foamy form. Because of thisuniform supply of cleaning fluid, all of the brushing elements cooperateequally to perform their desired functions, the maximum cleaning effectfrom the brush 1being obtained thereby.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing objects and such other objects asmay hereinafter appear, the present invention relates to a rotary brushconstruction as set forth in the appended claims and as described inthis specification, taken together with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a floor surfacing apparatus embodyingthe present invention;

Fig. 2 is a View oi the brush and drivingapparatus therefor with a partbroken away to sho-w the rotary driving means kand the cleaning fiuidfeeding means;

Fig. 3 is a top View of the rotary brush with the top wall thereofremoved;

Fig. 4 is a view taken along the line li-fi of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a top View of the fixed section of said top wall;

Fig. 6 is a view taken along Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a bottom view of the cover removably attachable to the xedsection of Fig. .5;

Fig. 8 is a side View thereof; and

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view thereof along the line @-8 of Fig. .7..

The brush of the present invention comprises a `base plate generallydesignated A adapted be mounted on and rotated by a brushing machinehereinafter to be described, said base plate having on its upper surfacea liquid receiving and feeding 'chamber generally designated B,v saidchamber being in communication with the top surface of the base plate A,said top surface :in turn being provided with drainage openings.generally designated C which, in cooperation with suitably orientedfins generally designated D, `centrol and direct the cleaning fluidwhich reaches the top surface of the base plate A so that it .ispermitted to pass to the bottom surfaceof the base plate A land intocontact with the brushing elements, here illustrated fas bristles E, ata point spaced inwardly from the periphery of the brush, thus initiallywetting the innermost brushing elements E, the cleaning fluid thereafter`by centrifugal action being impelled outwardly so as to meisten theperipheral brushing elements E. After a few moments of operation, all ofthe brushing elements `are equally moistened'a-nd consequently allequally contribute to the lcleaning effect. i

While equal moistening of the brushing elements E is extremelydesirable, and is achieved broadly by the construction above described,it is also important that flooding of the surface being cleaned whenrotation of the brush ceases be avoided. This desirable result isobtained by including in the .liquid receiving and feeding chamber Bsome means, here shown as a pl rality of vanes F, for .agit-ating theliquid therein .n order to churn it into foam. In addition, the drainageopenings C are of such a size in relation to the .foam characteristicsof the cleaning i'iuid to be used as, because of surface tensioneffects, to permit foam to pass therethrough only when a head of foam is'built up thereabove. In other words, the cleaning fluid does not passfreely kthe une e-o of.

4 through the drainage openings C to the brushing elements E but isinstead retained on the top surface of the base plate A untilconsiderable foam has accumulated thereupon so as to build up a head offoam above the drainage openings C. Consequently, if the flow ofcleaning fluid to the brush is shut on, no fluid will be availableto'lbuild up `itheiiead necessary to cause the foam to .pass totheibrushing elements and therefore almost simultaneously with the shuttingoif Voif the flow of cleaning fluid, the passage of the cleani-ng uid tothe brushing elements E will cease. VThat cleaning fluid which iscontained within Ythe liquid 'receiving and feeding chamber B will, whenthe rotation of the brush is stopped, remain therein, since thecommunication bei tween` the liquid .receiving and feeding chamber aAsize as to prevent its free egress except when K to.

:the speed with which the cleaning fluid flows through the brush butnevertheless provides a definite Safety factor.

,Somewhat more important from a practical point of view is the 'factthat by this construction, Vonce the flow of cleaning uid has been outoi, rotation of the fbrush may be immediately stopped without any dangerwhatsoever to the surface being cleaned, since once the rotation cases,no further cleaning fluid tends to pass out of the liquid receiving andfeeding chamber B toward the drainage openings C. Therefore, no head 'isbuilt .up or A.accumulated above those drainage openings and passage ofthe cleaning uid through those openings ceases.

Viewing now the construction of the brush more in detail, we .see thatthe embodiment here illustrated is particularly adapted for use in arotary :floor surfacing apparatus such as is illustrated in Figs. 1 and2. This machine comprises a brush housing -2 and a motor housing 4disposed 't-hereabova the motor shaft 6 being connested by means yof thegear train generally designated `8 to the brush ldrive shaft I0 to whichthe brush is attached in driven relationship as Will become apparenthereinafter. An operating handle l2 is attached to the housing 2 and thereservoir I4 which contains a supply of cleaning uid such as ysoapywater may be fastened there- The reservoir is connected in conventionalmanner to a cleaning uid feeding nozzle I8 the tip v:of which iisdisposed vdirectly above the vbrush at-a point quite close to its center(see Fig. 2). A valve control A2U is appropriately positioned on thehandle I2 so that the operator can control fhielementsthuseferedescribed @steil are relatively conventionaland form nopart; ofvthe present `Ainvention,jthe invention residingin the brushconstruction Aper se as 4Will 110W ab@ Set OIlh.

y The base4 .plate Amay be an integral l:Casting of f anysuitable metalsuch' as =aluminum,ftheim g portantv structural,v elements l of which. lare j the bottom 2,2, theupstanding peripheralrim v24and the centrallypositioned 'hub-like :upward .Drolecfl tion whichdenesithe sidewalls oftheliquid receiving and feeding chamber B. I Thisprojection ishereshowniny the form ofla circular Wall 26 projectingzfupwardly from theVbase plate A. 1

. :The brushngelements orbristles E are secured to the base plate Ain.any,conventionalamannen As heredisclosedg-thebaseplate is providedwith a; plurality of apertures 28 in which-the ends oftherbristlesE-*are secured, 'ai wire network 30 serving to fastenthelbristles infplace against the' possibility lof: accidental rdislodgement. i The apertures 28 are relatively small land the upperends of the bristles E fill the apertures relatively' completelyso thatonly avery minute 'amount of liquid can pass through theapertures28andthen. onlyataveryslowratem1 .1.1.13 ,1 4

VThe brushing elements 'or-bristles E are positionedon the bottom ofthebaseplate Ain .annular arrangeme'nt, aninner circular free space 32being deiinedrthereby,l the radius of the free space '32being'p'referably approximately the 'same as that of 'the liquidreceiving and feeding 'cham, ber B. Hence', as will be apparent from aninspection of Figs. 3Vand 4,.thatf portion-'ofI the bottom 22 of thebase :plate A'deflning the bottorn wall of the liquid receiving andvfeeding chamber B is imperforate so that no v:liquid can passtherethrough. The side wall 26 ofthe chamber Bais,- however,`provided-with apluralityl oforiflces v34, .here shown'as levelwithth'e'top'surface of the base plate'A but` which might be raisedsomewhat thereabove A(seeoriiice 34).,f.through` which liquid in thechamber B lmayipass: toth'at portion of the top surface ofthe base.plate A to whichv the brushing elementsE are fastened.' It will beapparent that when the brush is rotating, centrifugal vforce willtend toexpel whatever liquid is in the chamber B through these orifices 34.Inorderto assist in thislaction, the interior of the chamber B isprovided with a plurality of varies AF' so oriented with respect to thedirection of rotation -of the brush and so positioned with relation tothe orifices 34 as to force the liquid inV the, chamber B through theorifices 34 when the brushis rotating. Thus, in the' brush illus-4trated in Figs. 3 and 4,'which is designed to be rotated in thedirection of the arrow v36, the vanes F project inwardly from the wall26 in thetdirection of-rotation of. the.. brush and each is positionedcloselyadjacentthetrailing edgey of an orifice 34. The vanas-F thereforeact as scoops to assist centrifugal force in ejecting fluid'from thechamber B through the orifices 34.v At .the same time they perform; thevery usefulyfunc. tion of agitatirlgv elements effective to churn theliquid in the chamber B into afoamy state.

The liquid` or foam ejected throughl the orifices 34 will, because ofthe centrifugal force engen.- dered by the rotation o f the brush, beurged outwardly to the periphery thereof. The flanged. rim 24 preventssuchliquid .fromsplashing over'the sides of the brushonto the surfacebeing cleaned. In addition, the fins Dl and the drainage openings Caresoarranged andA positioned Aon the upper surface-.of the base plate Al*as to ensure that ftheliquid. passes `.only or yprimarily to thosebristles E positioned atthe interior ofthebrusll, To this end, the ns Dareso orientedfandalnf clined as tovforce or'scoop whatever liquid thereison the top surface oi the base'plate A inwardly against the action ofcentrifugal force; to ;the drainage openings C which are in -turnpositioned onthe base plate A inwardly of the periphery thereof so thatthe cleaning fluid whichdrains therethrough to-the undersurface ofthebase plate A will be brought into contact withand ywet thee` innermostbristles E. The rotationof the bristles will then, via centrifugalforce,- limp el this fluid outwardly so that it passes frombristle tobristle to the periphery of the brush, thusiensuring that all of thebristles are wetted bythe cleaning fluid so that all may equally performthe :desired cleaning operation.r As herelillusg trated, there Vare thesame number ofy fins D as there are orifices 34 and the fins D projectupwardly from the base plate A and aredirected outwardly from the wall26 into-the direction of rotation ofthe brush. In order toVprovil:le1;.for. a smooth and uninterrupted iiow of liquid over the topof the base plate A, the fins D are,` pref-- erably smoothly curved inthe manner illustrated.- Since the fins D act as scoops, the fluide-willtend to build up along the leadingsurface of those fins and therefore itis preferable to position the drainage openings C adjacent'gtosaidleading surfaces. As illustrated in Figs 3 and 4, these drainageopeningsC are relatively longand conform to the curvature of the finsD,thiscon. struction `being preferred for smooth passage, of thefluid-from the top of the base plate A to the bristles E, but a seriesof small openings 'instead of an' elongated opening would serve the-sameresult. i .z Itis also noteworthy that the drainage openings C, althoughlong, are relatively `narrow,the degree ofnarrowness being chosen inVrelation to the surface tension characteristics of the;.clean ing fluidto be used and the foam thereof -so-as to prevent free passage of theliquid and its'froamv therethrough. Consequently, if a lm of foam ispresent on the top surface of the base plate A* thatfoam will normallynot fall or pass throughy the drainage openings C and whatever liquidmay` be` presentv on the top surface of the ,base .plate A will passthrough the openings C slowly and with difficulty. Insofar as the foamis concerned, the width of the drainage openings C is so chosen that thefoam will not pass therethrough unless a considerable head of foambuilds up abovethe openings C. Clearly, this will take place only whenthe brush is rotating and the ns D scoop foam and force it inwardly,thus causing -a head of foam to build up or accumulate along the leadingsurfaces of the fins D toward the center of rotation of the brush. Itwill be apparent that when rotation of the brush ceases, the ac.-cumulation of this head will terminate and foam will therefore not passthrough the drainage openings C. The obvious result of this state ofaffairs is to prevent foam from passing to the bristles E and thence tothe surface to be cleaned whenever rotation of the brush is stopped.Flood--v ing of the surface to be cleaned is thereby pre'- vented.Whatever liquid may be presentcnthe top surface of the base plate A willpass slowly to the brushing elements E, thus giving the oper-l ator anopportunity to remove the machine from the area being cleaned before theliquid will lioody or stain that area, but it will be understood that ifthe brush has been operating for any period of time. all of the cleaningfluid outsideof the.

chamber iB wmbe 'in the form lof roam'.- 'The foam Within the chamber Bwill, -once the brush has stopped rotating, remain within the chamber,`since the Aorifices 134 are so small as 4to prevent egress of saidfoamu'nless centrifugal force plus the scooping action of the iins 'D-impel the foam through the oriiices 34. 'Whatever liquid may bein thechamber B will drain slowly to the drainage openingslC and, if theoriices are raised somewhat above the level of the base plate A lin themanner illustrated vfor orice 34",- this drainagemay to a considerableextent lbe completely eliminated.

The top of the-chamber B must be substantially vclosed in order that`the churning action Atakingiplace `in that chamber should not splashliquid'out `of the brush. `Means must also be `provided for attachingthe brush to the drive shaft Nl.v In my construction both of theseobjectives are achieved and the lbrush is at the same time made easilyremovable yfrom the machine by vemp'loying a two-piece top openingcomprising axed section 38 A(see Figs. 5 and 6) and a removable coversection 4Q (see Figs. 7, 8 and 9.). The fixed section 238 is in thetor-m of a metal plate having a -rim 42 adapted to fit over the circularwall 26 to which it is attached by means of screws 44 receivable withinscrew holes i6 in the Wall 26. The central portion of the fixed section38 is apertured as at 48 and a plurality of ear receiving openings k50are peripherally arranged therearound. T-he underside of the iixedsection 38 is provided with depending ledges 52 and stops 54 adapted, inconjunction with the openings 50, to

cooperate with the fastening ears 56 on the vre- 1 movable -cover llll).The central portion of .the cover 40 is provided with an aperture 58having a key-Way 60 adapted to receive the drive shaft Hl and befastened thereto `by any conventional means so that rotation of theshaft I Will effect rotation of the cover 4Q. The ears 56 are .adaptedto pass freely through the ear receiving openings 50 'in the fixedsection 42 and rotation of the cover 40 in the normal direction ofrotation of the shaft H) will move those ears along the ledges 52 intopositive contact with the stops r54 on the fixed section 42 so thatrotation of the shaft l is transmitted via the cover 48 to the Xedsection 42 so .as to rotate the entire brush. If it is desired to removethe brush from the machine, the brush may be manually rotated in a`direction opposite to that of its normal rotation so as to bring theopenings i! into registration with the ears 55, after which the brushmay ybe removed from the machine by pulling it in the direction of itsaxis of rotation.

The upper surface of the cover 4U is provided with an annular liquidreceiving channel 6-2--positioned under the cleaning fluid nozzle i8 sothat cleaning fluid may flow from the nozzle `lil into the channel 62 asthe brush rotates. Liquid inlet orifices B4 are provided in the channel62 so that rliquid may pass from the channel 62 to the interior of theliquid receiving and feeding chamber B. These orifices tt may bepositioned at the bottom ci the channel 82, in which case gravity feedalone is relied upon. It may, however, be l'desired to position them inthe manner illustrated with orifice te (see Figs. '7 and 9), in which atleast a portion of the orifice is located on the side of the lchannel 62so that as the brush rotates, carrying with it the channel 62, thecentrifugal force active upon the liquid in the channel '62 will impelit into the chamber B, thus achieving vforce-feed without the employmentof l trifugal rforce.

8 any -faddi'tional parts -and preventing accumulatien oi liquidlin thechannel A62.

A renement of 'design particularly vadapted to facilitate the ychurningof the .liquid Ain the chamber into foam may be realized by soconstructing the 'vanes iF thatthey extend upwardly .short oflthe -ftop.of fthe chamber B. 'Since the liquid inlet `-to the .chamber B, to wit,'the orices lt4 or dareflpositioned close '5to the outer peripheryyoffthesschamber B, liquid passing through those pri-ces'will be'impelled by centrifugal force to the interior of the Wall 26 above thevanes F. This liquid kwill :therefore have imparted Ito `it Aa circular-lmotion corresponding "to that of the wall '2.6' in addition l'to ladownward motion caused by gravity. The interior .of the vchamber B willbe free Eof liquid :and v'full of air and'consequently the liquid willbe preliminarily churned prior to its engagement with the Avanes `Fwhich will vcomplete .the churning'raction. When orices of the type of64" :are employed in the liquid .receiving channel v62, Vthis effect 4isintensified :because the liquid is `impelled by centrifugal forcedirectly through :the side opening .of the aperture B4' to the interiorsurface of the Wa1126.

The above-described brush construction succeeds ina simple manner andwithout the euse of any moving parts in controlling the :action of theycleaning fluid employed with rotary brushes nsuch a manner 'as toensure efficient use ofthe cleaning :solution and :at the same time4prevent any undesirable Aeffects of prior `art brushes such asfhavebeen set forth heretoore. This ycontrol is accomplished by employing the.centrifugal force which is inherently present in all rotary brushes inconjunction with various elements, such `as iins, vanes and orifices,all yconstructed in order to achieve particular results. Fluid from thevreservoir i4 passes, via the nozzle I8, `into the lrotating liquidreceiving channel `62. From there it? passes via oriiices 64 into theliquid receivi'ng and feeding chamber B. This may take place eitherybecause rof gravity :alone or, in the case of orice 64', bymeans ofgravity plus cen- In the chamber B the liquid is agitated :and churned,either fby being carried around bythe inner surface of `the wall 26 orby the action of the vanes F ror by both, and after it has been churnedsuiii'cientlyl it is forced-fed from the chamber B to the V.uppersurface of the base plate Aby the scooping action of the vanes F.Centrifugal `force tends to impel the thus eX- pelled foam to theperiphery Iof the base plate A, but Athe iins D zon the top thereof.,acting against this Ycentrifugal Sforce, force Vthe foam inwardly towardthe drainage openings C. If .suicient foam` has built up in 'thevicinity of these openings,'tl're foam passes slowly 'therethrough tothe interiorly disposed brushing Ielements E, after which centrifugalforce permits the foam to pass to and meisten Athe other and exteriorlydisposed brushing elements E so that all of the brushing elements areequally moistened, each thus assuming its share of the cleaningoperation. .As the foam passes outwardly 'from bristle to bristle, itis, of course, churned still more, thus increasing its cleansing action.Should rotation of the brush cease before all of the fluid which haspassed to the brush ffrom the reservoir I 4 has been used' up, no `ille'iects will result. All of the foam and most vof the liquid will remaineither in the chamber'B for the top surface of the base plate A so that-no flooding of thesurface being cleaned results. Whatever fdrainage maytake place through the drainage openings C or through the some of theother openings vor apertures,'are dei' signed with specific relationto'thetyp'e of "cleaning fluid to be used, it may 4be desirable Ito'useva different brush for different cleaning fluids'.-v Replacement of onebrush-lby'another more ape' propriate to the cleaning fluid tombefusedis a simple operation taking but-a few'secondsiy made in the specificdesign thereof/without'departing from the spirit of the inventionas deefined in the following claims; t i i y I claim: f 1. A rotary brush thelower surface thereof, a-liquid receivingf'ancl feeding chambercentrally mountedthereon havLv ing `a liquid inlet and 4having vliquid 1outlet orifices inthe side walls thereof through=which liquid' iscentrifugally expelled to thet'op'sur'face of saidbase 4plate when thebrush is rotatedvansiinsaid chamber associated withsaid'outlet"orificesj 'and'l so oriented asto'force'the liquid'irisaidbh'a'mi ber through said orices `when the brush sro-'jjl tated,said base plate having. drainage'openings' inwardly disposed with`-respectVy 'to its periplier'y" c through which liquidmay-fallito'inwardlyposiii tioned brushing elements','and lins on thetop surface of said ibase plate so oriented as to force liquid on ,thetop of said base plate inwardly against centrifugal force to saiddrainage openings. 1

2. 'I'he rotary brush of claim 1*, in'white-hr1'said-'- base plateisgprovided with'anupWardlyf projecting peripheral flange which,.inconjunction with.

said ns, prevents liquid from falling outsidesaid brush.y 1 i if, j|`

3. The rotary brush of' claim, in wlii a liquid outletlorice ispositioned 4between"a"pair" of said iins.

4. The rotary brush of claim l, in which a drainage opening is adjacentto that side of one of said fins directed toward the direction ofrotation of said brush.

5. The rotary brush of claim 1, in which the vanes in said chamberextend from the bottom of the chamber above the liquid outlet oriiicesand terminate short of the top of said chamber, and in which the liquidinlet to said chamber is near the periphery thereof and above the uppersurface of said vanes, whereby said liquid in said chamber is eiectivelychurned into foam.

6. A rotary brush comprising a base plate, brushing elements projectingdownwardly from the lower surface thereof, a liquid receiving andfeeding chamber centrally mounted thereon and having a liquid inlet atthe top thereof and liquid outlet oriiices in the bottom of side wallsthereof through which liquid is centrifugally eX- pelled to the topsurface of said base plate when the brush is rotated, Vanes in saidchamber assocomprising va 'i' Ibase Ifplatey. brushing elementsprojecting downwardly fromc 20' While but one embodiment ofl myv brushhas been here illustrated and 'described-in -detailgit' will be apparentthat many variations-may be thusfiorcirig liquid' on the top of saidbase plate"- inwardly v'against`centrifugal force to said drain-A ageopenings.'v`

Warne rotary llcmsli'cfi claim 6,'in 'which said base plate is providedlwith' 'an upwardly pro? jecting peripheral'flang'e which, inconjunction with said'iins, prevents liquid from falling outsi'd'esaidbrushl* I 8.,"The rotary brush of 'claim' 6, in which a liquid"outletorilicev is positioned between a pair ofsaidiins.

*9; Therotary brusliof claim 6, in which a drainageo'pening is' adjacent'to that side of one o'i'said iins directed ,toward the direction ofrotatonof Said brush.:`

l0. The rotarybrush'of claim 6, in which theV vanes insaid-chamberextendfrom the bottom of` the chamber above the liquidoutlet orifices and terininate'shortv ofthe-'top of said chamber, andyinwhichftheliquid inletftosaidchamber is near the: vperiphery ,thereoff' and 'abovethe upper surfacepfffsaidtvanes, whereby said liquid in`said chamber is electively' churned into foam.

, 11-1.' .IA liquid'receiving and feeding chamber centrallymounted-onthebase lplate of a rotary brush comprising an imperforate bottom wall,a

sidewall provided witha plurality of liquid outlet'oricesnearthe'bottomthereof, varies in said chamber asscciatcd withvsaid 'cuuct orifices andsooriented'withrespect 'to the vdirection of rotal' tion 'offsaidbrushasto force Athe liquid in said chamberthrough saidoricesy when thebrush` is rotated', land aT top`vvall' having a circular liquidreceiving' =channel 1in` its'top 'surface' adapted to receivefli'qui'dlfrom astation'ary source of supply while :said 'brushis frotated,vysaid channel being A provided with liquidfinlet oriiices through whichliquid'ma'y'pa'ss from saidchannel to the interioroffsai'djchamber.'

ffl-2- T-hefliquid receiving and feeding chamber off'c'l'a'iifnA 11,1"inwhich said top wallcomprises a centrally-'apertured iixed'sectionsecured to said side wall and a cover removably attachable thereto, saidliquid receiving channel being formed in said cover.

13. The liquid receiving and feeding chamber of claim 11, in which saidliquid inlet orifices are at least partially on the side of saidcircular liquid receiving channel so that liquid passing therethrough tosaid chamber is centrifugally urged to the side walls of said chamber.

14. A rotary brush comprising a base plate, brushing elements projectingdownwardly from the lower surface thereof, a liquid receiving andfeeding chamber centrally mounted on the top surface thereof, saidchamber having a liquid inlet at the top thereof and liquid outletoriiices in the side walls thereof through which liquid is centrifugallyexpelled to the top surface of said base plate when the brush isrotated, said base plate having drainage openings inwardly disposed withrespect to its periphery but outwardly disposed with respect to saidchamber through which liquid may fall only to inwardly positionedbrushing elements, and` fins on the top'surface of said base plate sooriented as to force liquid on; the top of said base, plateV inwardlyagainst cen;- trifugal force to said drainage openings, said liquidafter it has fallen to said inwardly posi-` tioned brushing elementsbeing. centrifugally impelled to said outer brushing'elements.

15. A rotary brush comprising a base. plate,v

brushing elements projecting downwardly from the lower surface thereof,a liquid receiving and feeding chamber centrally mounted onv the' topsurface thereof, said chamber having a liquid in let at the top thereof.and liquid outlet orifices; in the side walls thereof through whichliquid isr centrifugally expelled to thev top surface of said base platewhen the brush is rotated, saidbasey plate having drainage openingsinwardly dis-1 posed with respect to its periphery and outwardlydisposed with respect to said chamber through which liquid may fall onlyto thoseV inwardly positoned brushing elements, and fins. on thetopsurface of said base plate projecting outwardly from said chamber inthe direction of rotation of'said brush so as to force liquid on the topof said baseplate inwardly against centrifugal force to said drainageopenings, said liquid after it has fallen to said inwardly positionedbrushing elements being centrifugally impelled to said outer brush:-ning elements.

16. A rotary brush comprising a base plate, brushing elements projectingdownwardly from the lower surface thereof and` arranged in annularconiiguration so as to define a free space atfthe center thereof, aliquid receiving and feeding chamber centrally mounted on. thev topsurface thereof and having a diameter substantiallyA equal. to that ofsaid' free space, said chamber having a liquid inlet orifice andA havinga liquidA outlet orifice in the side wall. thereof through which liquidis centrifugally expelledjto the: topv surfaceY of said base plate when.the. brush isl rotated, agitating means in'. said*v chamber tuL churnthe liquid therein into fcam,. said base platehaving drainage openings*inwardly` disposed With respect to its periphery'butoutwardlyV disposedwith respect to said chamber through which liquid may fall to inwardlypositioned brushing'elements, and ins on the top-surfacel 0f said baseplate so oriented as to force liquid on. the top of said base plateinwardly against een trifngal. forcev to said drainage openings",- saiddrainage openings being of such a size inrelation; to the foamcharacteristics of the liquid' being used as. becausefofisurfaee tensioneects, to permitfoam. to falltherethrough. only when a head of. foam isbuilt up thereabove, so that when rota tion of thev brush is stopped,centrifugal expulsion of the liquid foam from said chamber ceasesvandconsequently drainage ofthe foam from the top of' said base plate tosaid brushing elements also ceases..

1.7..A rotary brush comprising' a base plata.

brushing elements projecting downwardly from4 the lower. surface thereofand arranged in annular coniiguration so as to define a free space atthe center thereof,A a liquid receiving' and feeding chamber centrallymounted on. the top surface thereof and having a diameter substantially:equal to that of saidfree space, said chamber having a liquidinletoriceand' having a liquid outlet orifice in the side wall thereofthrough which. liquid is centrifugally expelled to the top surface ofsaidbase plate when the brush is rotated,y agitating means in saidchamber to churnl the. 'liquid therein intok foam, said basev platehaving drainage openings inwardly' dis-- posed with. respect to itsvperiphery but outwardly disposedy with: respect to said. chamber throughwhich liquid may fall tov inwardly positioned brushing elements, andfins on the top surface of said. base plate projecting outwardly fromsaid chamber in the direction of rotation of said brush so as to: forceliquid: on the topof said base platel inwardlyl against centrifugalforce to said drainage openings, said drainage; openings being of. sucha size in relation to thefoam characteristics of the liquid being usedas, because of surfaceftension effects, to permit foam' to falltherethrough4 only when av head' of foam is built up thereabove, so thatwhenl rotationof the brush is stopped, centrifugal expulsion: of'theliquid foam from said. chamber ceases and consequently drainage of. the:foam. from the top of. said base plate to-saidfbrushing. elements alsoceases;

NATHANIEL N. OKUN;

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of.this patent UNIITEDV STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,694,733 CumminsDec. 11, 1928 1,829,132 Finnell Oct. 27, 1931' 2,156,514 Sassano May 2,1939

